Friday, January 6, 2017

ARCHITECTURE IN NORTH QUEENSLAND : DYNAMIC EARLY CAIRNS #2

Early Aboriginal camp photograph  in  fold out views of  Cairns dated  1908,   sold by  chemist  R. Craig's   mixed  business ,below, which  also   purveyed stationery  and   newspapers , the building  displaying  the  year  1883.  In 1926  the  business was  run  by  the  founder's son-Gordon Craig, popular in sporting and  social circles, which  dispensed  Dr Koch's fever mixtures ;  agencies it held  were for  Kodak  and  Anderson's Seeds  .
Heritage listed Central Hotel , above ,  today , incorporating  art nouveau and  Federation  style , the   distinctive  building  was  designed  by the Melbourne and North Queensland  architectural  firm  of  Tunbridge,Tunbridge and Lynch. It was built  in 1908-1909  for  the  self  made  dynamic  businessman , William John Munro .  Born in New Zealand about  1864  of Scottish parents, he spent  some  early years in  Victoria  and   made  his way to  the  Queensland   mining  town of  Herberton,  then  Cairns  in  the  l880s .
 
Munro  became   prominent  in  many  fields - the sugar industry , mining ,  dairying ,  had  several  large pastoral properties and was  a partner in an  export  meatworks .   
  
Strongly  connected  with the Masonic movement , Cairns Freemasons Centre above,   he was   chairman of  the   Cairns  Shire  Council ,   president  of the Liberal Union , once  chaired  a  wild  political  meeting  at which  a " disgraceful and  unmanly"   group made senseless and  indecent  interjections , a  " fusillade of  eggs"     thrown at newspaper  reporters  and  others on  the  platform .
When built , the Central  Hotel, with decorative parapets,  asymmetrical  combinations     of   piers  surmounted   by cupolas , was   described as  palatial  and  the   most  impressive building in  Cairns . The dining  room , which could  accommodate   100,  boasted a  domed roof  and  a   glass   verandah   front . First lessee of  the hotel was  James  Watters, former mine host  of  the  Federal Hotel .  
 
The   sudden death  of  Munro, aged   48 ,  in Sydney , where he went  for medical treatment ,   shocked  Cairns .  Flags on  public buildings  and ships in  port flew at  half mast. His embalmed  body , in a lead  casket ,  was brought back to  Cairns by ship    for  a  huge funeral  for a "true blue son of Cairns ." Special trains were provided  for  the  hundreds of  mourners  from Herberton and Babinda .  Mounted  police  took part in the entourage   along   with  townspeople,   many  Masons,  employees   from  near  and  far , the  town   band .   
Across the road from the Central  Hotel  is another heritage listed building , the above  Boland's  Centre  , designed by  Edward  Gregory  Waters  of  Cairns and  completed  the year before the start of  World  War l  for Irish  immigrant Michael Boland who came to  Melbourne  in 1881 , worked  in  an uncle's  store in Queanbeyan , NSW, then  headed  for  Cairns  where he became a leading merchant  , involved in  civic affairs  , an  alderman  and  director of the  Penny Savings Bank, still operating .

From an impoverished background, Boland   supported  workers' rights, the Labour Party and  early unionism. He was  also  associated  with  the local Chinese community, in 1904  giving money  for  repairs  to  one  of  the  temples.

An interesting aspect of the construction of the building, which introduced  the department  store  to  Cairns , is  that a nearby swamp was drained and   because of the nature of the site it was   built on a floating platform . The  English  firm of  Dorman , Long and Co supplied   prefabricated   steel work   for the building. It was  Dorman, Long  which  later supplied  steel for the  Sydney  Harbour Bridge .  The  David  Jones  department store chain  established  a  branch  in  the  building.


Adding to  the architectural interest  in  Cairns  at the   busy intersection , part of the area which  became known as the golden block ,  is  the  former ( now empty )  office of the  Adelaide Steamship  Company ,  shown below ,  a company with a colourful past  , previously covered  in  this  blog .